The True Story of Thomas Marvolo Riddle
by tate4eva
Summary: The only information we have on Tom Riddle is what Dumbledore has told. What if he had been holding out? Omitting information because of his disdain for Tom. Here is what Dumbledore has kept from us. The true story of Tom Riddle. TROC. Rating to be safe
1. Chapter 1

_**The True Story of Thomas Marvolo Riddle **_

_**Disclaimer:**_ The usual, I don't own any of the characters or anything to do with Harry Potter. All credit goes to J.K Rowling. The only person I own is Isolde.

_**Authors Note:**_ This story is a work in progress that has been swimming around in my head for over a year. Since I'm stuck on my other stories, I decide to write this story out to make room for ideas for my other fan fictions.

**PROLOGUE**

Thomas Marvolo Riddle

Lord Voldemort.

Two names, one man.

Tom Riddle was the boy who attended Hogwarts. Head Boy, highest grades in the history of Hogwarts, handsome and charismatic.

Lord Voldemort was the Dark Lord who aspired to destroy all muggles and muggleborns.

At what point did the boy become the monster? What was it that pushed him?

For decades the wizarding world relied on the words of Albus Dumbledore, the only wizard that Voldemort was afraid off.

How much of what Dumbledore has said is actually fact? What has been omitted or flat out lied about?

Keep reading, this is the true tale of Thomas Marvolo Riddle's life and what truly drove him to become Lord Voldemort.

What did you think? I know its short but jump to the next chapter to read more.

tate4eva


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer:**_ The usual, I don't own any of the characters or anything to do with Harry Potter. All credit goes to J.K Rowling. The only person I own is Isolde.

_**Authors Note:**_ This story is a work in progress that has been swimming around in my head for over a year. Since I'm stuck on my other stories, I decide to write this story out to make room for ideas for my other fan fictions.

I just edited this since i screwed up with Tom and Isolde's ages.

**CHAPTER ONE – The Beginning**

_Winter 1931_

Bleak. That was one word to describe not only the weather but the atmosphere surrounding the South London orphanage. It hadn't snowed in over two weeks and all that was left in the courtyard was slush that a few of the orphans had taken to playing in.

One young orphan, five year old Tom Riddle sat at the window of his room, watching the other children playing. Even at such a young age he found what they were doing childish and preferred to read the tattered hand-me down books he had borrowed from one of the classrooms.

Yes, Tom was different from the other orphans, something they all noticed upon meeting him. He was quiet and withdrawn, never smiling and only spoke when spoken to. Strange things had a tendency to happen around him and as time passed he was able to control them. It was like magic.

"Thomas." The little boy winced at the sound of his full name, before turning to meet the gaze of the Head Matron, Mrs Cole.

"Yes, Mrs Cole." He said quietly.

"Why don't you put on your coat and gloves, and join the other children in the courtyard?" she suggested with a smile. She really worried about the boy and constantly tried to encourage him to join in with the other orphans games. However he always declined, preferring to steer clear of them, just as they preferred to avoid him.

"No thank you." He replied quietly, turning back to his book.

Mrs Cole sighed and walked over to him "What are you reading?" she asked him gently.

"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." He answered in the same toneless voice.

Mrs Cole was surprised. That was a book usually reserved for the older children in the orphanage. It wasn't something recommended for someone Tom's age.

"Surely there is another one that might be more appropriate for someone your age." The older woman suggested.

The young boy looked at her through his cold, ice blue eyes. "I am finding this one to my liking." He told her, before returning to his reading.

Once again sighing, Mrs Cole decided to just leave the boy alone and left the room, just as the front bell rang alerting her that there was someone at the front door waiting to visit.

Marking his place, Tom stood up and quietly followed Mrs Cole. For some reason, for the first time in his life he was curious as to see who was visiting the orphanage on this cold, bleak day. Usually he didn't care, but something was urging the young boy to follow the matron.

Hiding at the top of the stair, he crouched down and watched as Mrs Cole opened the front door, emitting an older man carrying a small trunk and an older woman dragging a small girl behind her.

From his position, Tom couldn't hear them properly, just a murmur of voices. The older man dumped the trunk on the floor and left, leaving the older woman and the little girl, who looked like she was crying softly.

"We want nothing to do with this devil child." The older woman shouted. "We only kept her because it was our sons wish. However we are too old to take care of her."

With that said, she shoved the little girl and a small bag at Mrs. Cole and left.

"Grandmother." The little girl called tearfully. Tom's heart skipped for a moment. He had never heard a more beautiful sound then the little girl's voice.

Mrs Cole looked a little distressed and knelt down to speak quietly with the little girl, before standing up and walking into the office, leaving the girl alone.

Tom couldn't help himself; he wanted to meet the little girl before the other children warned her not to come near him. Normally he didn't care, but he didn't want this little girl to be scared of him. Quietly, he stood up and began to descend the stairs.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and got a better look at her. She was smaller than him and dressed in a faded grey coat with black stockings and black Mary-Janes. He couldn't see her face as she had her head bowed and her wavy chocolate coloured locks covered it. She was crying softly.

Standing there, Tom watched her. Seeing a newly arrived orphan crying was not a new sight for him, but he felt his heart tightened. He didn't want her to cry and he didn't know why he cared.

Suddenly the little girl looked up, straight at Tom who froze. She was very pretty with pale skin and big brown eyes that reminded him of hot chocolate that Mrs Cole sometimes gave the children. Her nose was small and slightly red from the cold and crying.

"Hello." Tom said quietly, not wanting to scare her. He really didn't want this little angel to be scared of him. For the first time in his life, Tom wanted a friend and he wanted it to be this little girl.

She sniffled. "Hello." She replied quietly, her voice shaking.

"What's your name?"

Still sniffling, she answered. "Isolde." Wiping her nose on the sleeve of her jacket, she turned her gaze back to him. "What's your name?"

"Tom. Tom Riddle."

"Do you live here?"

Tom nodded. "Yes, I have lived here my whole life."

Isolde just nodded, as Tom slowly took small steps to get closer to her. "How old are you?" she asked, surveying the little boy in front of her.

"I just turned five. You?"

"Four."

She was younger than him. He felt a sudden need to protect her. This was strange. Tom Riddle didn't care about anyone but himself.

There was a comfortable silence between them that was broken as Mrs Cole came out of her office. "Well Isolde, we have a room for you. I hope you like it. You will be sharing with some of the other little girls. You should make friends in no time." She said. "Oh. Tom, what are you doing down here?"

Tom didn't answer; he just looked at Isolde who was watching him. She was different from the other children, he could tell right away.

"Tom, perhaps you would like to help Isolde get settled in." Mrs Cole said gently. Tom just nodded, as the matron turned her attention to the small trunk Isolde's grandparents had left. "This is your trunk Isolde?"

Isolde shook her head, her wavy locks flicking back and forth. "No, it was my Mummy's. She left it for me after she died."

Mrs Cole squatted down and looked it. "Hmm, there doesn't seem to be a padlock." She muttered under the breath.

"Papa said it will open when I turn seventeen."

Mrs Cole stood up and shook her head. "Of course it will." She mumbled, before clearing her throat. "We will put it in a safe spot then until that day."

Isolde nodded, as Mrs Cole bent down again to pick up the bag Isolde's grandmother had left thrown there, riffling through it for a minute. "We have your birth certificate. That is an added bonus." She smiled and turned to both children. "Come, let's get Isolde settled in."

Taking Isolde's hand, she went to lead the little girl up there stairs. Almost immediately, Isolde reached out and grabbed Tom's hand tightly, dragging him along. Mrs Cole was surprised that the little boy who shunned human contact made no attempts to detangle himself from the girl. In fact, it appeared he gripped her hand tightly, following along without any argument.

Tom silently groaned when he saw Mrs Cole had placed Isolde in a room with Helen and Emma. At the ages of four and six, they already had the making of becoming gossips, a term he had picked up from Mr Johns, one of the teachers.

"Helen and Emma are playing with the other children outside." Mrs Cole told Isolde, who was standing beside Tom, still gripping his hand like it was a lifeline. "Perhaps after you have unpacked, you would like me to introduce you to them."

Isolde didn't answer; she just peered around the room, looking sad. Mrs Cole sighed, before turning to Tom. "Take care of her Tom." She told the little boy, who merely nodded, before she left, after casting one last look at the young pair.

Tom turned to Isolde. "Would you like to see my room?" he asked her.

Isolde nodded and Tom led her down the hall to where his private room was situated. "You have your own room?" Isolde asked in awe. "Why?"

Tom shrugged and sat down on his bed. "Nobody wants to share with me."

Isolde came to join him. "Why not?"

"They don't like me. I'm different." He told her.

With a smile Isolde replied. "I like you."

For the first time in his life, Tom smiled a real genuine smile.

Isolde yawned and lay back against the pillows. "I'm tired. It's time for a nap." She said closing her eyes.

Tom stood up and crossed his arms. "I'm told old for a nap." He told her.

Isolde opened her eyes and smiled. "My grandfather has naps all the time and he's old."

Not able to come up with any other argument, Tom agreed and lay down on the bed beside Isolde, deciding a nap couldn't hurt.

When Mrs Cole came looking for the sometime later, she smiled at the sight of the two children cuddled up together. Perhaps there was some hope for the little boy she was so worried about.

_**A/N: **_So what did you think? This is my first time writing a TR/OFC story. Just for future reference, Tom is going be a bit out of character at some points in the story.

Also, for future chapters I'm going to need some info about the London bombings and any little facts people have about London during the 30's and 40's. It would be much appreciated.

So please, please review, because it really inspires me to write more.

Also, I am looking for a beta for not only this story but two of my others. One, Harry Potter SS/HG and the other an NCIS Kate/Tony story. Just someone to check out that it makes sense and to push me along if I take too long to update.

Cheers,

tate4eva


	3. Snakes and Burns

_**Disclaimer:**_ The usual, I don't own any of the characters or anything to do with Harry Potter. All credit goes to J.K Rowling. Anyone you don't recognise is owned by me.

_**Authors Note:**_ Alright, I don't know much about vacation spots in England especially during the 30's however a Google search showed me Cornwall when i typed in holiday spots in england, so that is where this chapter is set. Also I don't know what kind of snakes there are in England especially one that would be so close to the beach.

**CHAPTER TWO – Snakes and Burns**

_Summer__ 1932_

"All right children. Don't stray too far from the bus." Mrs Cole called, as the small group of children left the bus and looked around in awe, breathing in the salty air that hung over Cornwall.

Tom and Isolde stayed closed to each other as the other children ran off, laughing happily, glad to be away from London and the melancholy air the Depression was bringing. The orphanages' beneficiaries had decided a small holiday was needed to lift the spirits of the orphans, so the trip to Cornwall had been arranged.

Mrs Cole watched as Tom and Isolde surveyed the beach in front of them. The two had become quite the duo since their meeting almost six months ago. You would barley find one without the other. "Keep an eye on Isolde, Tom." the older woman called softly, even though she knew that this was not necessary. The little boy was almost obsessively overprotective of the younger girl.

Tom merely nodded in reply, as Isolde led him to a small patch of grass and sat down.

"I like it here. It smells nice and no one is so sad." Isolde commented, picking a flower and spinning it around in her tiny fingers.

Tom looked at his friend. "We haven't been here that long." He said. "How do you know that no one is sad?"

Isolde shrugged. "I can feel it." Was all she said and that was the only answer Tom needed. Isolde was usually right when it came to her 'feelings'.

The pair sat in a comfortable silence, strange for children of their age. Isolde was playing with the flower in her hand while Tom just looked out at the ocean. The silence was broken when Isolde gave a little shriek and edged closer to Tom.

"What?" he asked.

Isolde pointed to the ground a couple of feet beside the spot she had been sitting on, where a small green snake was coiled, almost watching them. Tom stared at it. _What a beautiful creature_, he thought to himself.

"It's alright Isolde. It's not poisonous." He told his friend, edging slightly closer to the snake.

Isolde watched him sceptically. "Are you sure Tom?" she asked in a small voice. Tom nodded, still edging closer to the elegant creature. "Be careful Tom." Her voice was almost a whisper.

"Hello." Tom said softly to the snake.

"Hello human." Tom was surprised when he heard the snake answer him.

Glancing at Isolde whose doe eyes were wide, briefly, Tom turned back to the snake. "You can understand me."

The snake gave a small nod, which consisted of it rising up slightly and bobbing its head. "I can. And you can understand me."

"I can." Tom replied in awe. He was actually talking to an animal, a snake at that.

"I've never spoken to a human before." The snake told him. "They usually run and scream or try to hit me when I approach."

"Snakes don't –." Tom began but was broken off by a yell from behind him.

"Riddle, you freak are you actually talking pretending to talk to that snake."

Tom winced slightly and turned away from the snake to see George Foreman, a large boy of seven who was another orphan. George had been at the orphanage since he was two, arriving just after Tom's birth. He seemed to have developed an instant dislike for Tom which only doubled when Tom had somehow turned George's favourite truck into a porcupine. The feelings were very mutual.

"Go away." Tom told him sullenly, turning back to the snake only to see its tail disappearing among the grass.

"You were talking to that snake. Did it answer you Riddle?" George taunted with a smirk. "Did it tell you what a freak you were? That's probably why it slithered away. I saved its life before you set it on fire."

"Be quiet." Isolde spoke up for the first time and Tom turned his attention to his small friend who was looking very pale.

Unfortunately George also turned his attention to Isolde, who shrunk away from him. "What was that Issie?" he asked mockingly.

Isolde mumbled something under her breath. George stalked closer to her. "What Issie?" he asked again. "You want me to save you from freaky Tommy?"

Isolde shook her head as George roughly grabbed her arm and lifted her up off the ground. Tom was incensed, how dare he touch her? He stood up as well. "Let her go." Tom demanded in a low voice.

"Or what Tommy? You'll set me on fire?" George asked still gripping Isolde's arm tightly, tear were beginning to leak down the little girl's cheeks. This only made Tom even madder.

"Let her go." He repeated. "You're hurting her."

"Really?" George asked, smirking again. He shook Isolde roughly as more tears slid down her cheeks. "Am I hurting you Issie?"

Isolde nodded slightly, looking at the ground. Tom was trembling with rage. He wanted so badly to hurt George, to make sure he would never touch Isolde again. He started to step toward George and Isolde to rescue his friend, when George let out a high pitch scream and darted away from Isolde, staring at his hands.

"What did you do you freak?" he demanded.

Tom was confused. "I didn't do anything." He said. George had tears in his eyes.

"Oh yeah, what's this?" he asked, holding out his hands. Tom was surprised to see that the boy's chubby hands were red and blistered, like he had just touched a stove or something.

"I didn't do that." Tom defended himself.

"You're a freak. I'm telling Mrs Cole." George sniffled before running off in the direction of the beach.

Tom watched him go, not really worried. A sniffle behind him, reminded him that Isolde was still there and he turned back to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, stepping closer to her. She was rubbing her arm, where a hand shaped bruise was slowly forming.

Isolde nodded, still looking at the ground as she wiped her tears away. He gently touched her arm, any anger he had felt before going away quickly. Isolde always seemed able to calm him down whether by speaking softly to him or a touch to his arm.

She looked up at him. "What were you saying to that snake?"

Tom looked at her, confused. "You heard what I was saying." He told her, but Isolde shook her head.

"No, you were hissing like a snake." Isolde said, her eyes still wide, but some of the colour had returned to her face.

"I was?" Tom asked, bewildered. Isolde nodded. "Hissing?" Another nod. "I can talk to snakes."

Isolde bit her lip. "What were you talking about?"

Tom shrugged. "I just said hello and the snake said hello back."

"Wow." Isolde said.

Tom was a little worried. The other orphans had wasted no time telling Isolde to stay clear of Tom upon her arrival at the orphanage. The little girl however stuck by her new friend, even after a few little accidents including the curtains in the mess hall catching fire when George and his friends were teasing Tom. He was just waiting until she realised he was too different to be friends with. His new found discovered ability to talk to snake might just be the thing that would scare her away.

"You don't think it's scary?" he asked her quietly.

Isolde shook her head, her pigtails flying, before she gave Tom a hug. Tom relaxed immediately. For someone who had once shunned any human contact at all, it hadn't taken long to get use to Isolde touch. "You're my best friend Tom. Do you get scared by my feelings?"

Tom shook his head, hugging her tighter. Boy, he was glad he wasn't going to lose her. He had no idea what he would do if Isolde left him.

The pair just stood there hugging. The moment was broken by the arrival of Mrs Cole, who had George standing behind her, his hands wrapped in white cloth. "Tom, Isolde." She said and they broke apart to look up at her.

"Yes Mrs Cole." Isolde said in a small voice.

Mrs Cole looked down on them. "Would you mind explaining to me how George burnt his hands?" she asked. "He tells me you know."

"We don't know." Tom said in a sullen voice.

"He's lying." George spoke up. "He did it."

Mrs Cole shushed him. "I'd like to know how George." She said.

"He's a freak." George said loudly.

"George." Mrs Cole admonished. "Enough." She turned back to Tom and Isolde, who were now holding hands and standing close together. Neither said anything and the matron sighed. "I'm afraid that if you don't tell me what happened, none of you will be getting any ice cream as a treat tonight."

George smirked, but it dropped away quickly when Mrs Cole turned to him and told him that unless he told the truth he wouldn't be getting any either. George sulked away looking like he had been kicked, while Mrs Cole had turned back to Tom and Isolde. They didn't budge and she sighed again, before telling them to make their way back to the bus as they would be travelling to their accommodations for the evening soon.

She walked away, leaving the pair trailing behind her in silence, both silently going over the events of the past hour or so.

********************

**A/N:** So what did we all think? I'm hoping for a few more reviews this chapter. I'm grateful to those who added the story to their story alerts and story favourites, but reviews are always nice.


	4. Chapter 3: A Strange Visitor

_**Disclaimer:**_ The usual, I don't own any of the characters or anything to do with Harry Potter. All credit goes to J.K Rowling. Anyone you don't recognise is owned by me.

_**Authors Note:**_Here is the new chapter. BTW I use a lot of text from HBP, specifically Chapter Thirteen. Some I copied directly from the book, while others have been slightly modified. Another reminder anything you recognise, I don't own.

A big shot out to Superdani a. who's PM kicked me into gear. Also shot outs to HandStainedRed1, axredxwine, Nana, Fuzzybear's Leopard, Cashopeia and JC for your reviews on the last chapter.

**CHAPTER THREE- A Strange Visitor**

_Summer 1938_

The air was balmy. Summer had arrived in London and a heatwave had struck the city. People were doing all possible given the financial situation, to keep cool.

Tom and Isolde were sprawled out around Tom's room, which strangely enough was the perfect temperature even with the window and door closed. Isolde was laid out on the bed, flicking through a book, while Tom was reclined on the desk chair, his feet propped up on the desk as he read his own book.

Isolde sighed and rolled over onto her stomach, dropping the book she had been reading onto the floor, before straining to reach another from the small pile on the floor beside the bed. A book that was just out of her reach slowly slide across the floor and into her waiting hand. Tom smiled, remembering the day Isolde had confessed that they had more in common than their lack of parents and love of learning.

*FLASHBACK – 1932*

"_Tom." Tom looked up from the book her was reading. Isolde was standing before him, worrying her bottom lip._

"_What's wrong?" he asked feeling a little worried. He knew something had been bothering her but didn't push her as she had a tendency to close up._

_Still worrying her lip, Isolde walked over and sat on his bed. "It was me." She said quietly, looking down at her hands which were clasped and sitting in her lap._

_Tom frowned. "What was you?" he asked in confusion._

_Isolde took a deep breath and looked up at him. "I burnt George's hands."_

_Tom stared at her in surprise, taking in her statement. "You burnt George's hands? How?"_

"_The same way you set the curtains on fire and make things move without touching them." She whispered. Tom frowned again._

"_I don't know how I do those things." He told her. "Do you know how?"_

_He stood up and went to sit beside her. If Isolde could do strange things as well, that explained why she didn't shy away from him like the others did._

_Isolde sighed. "My Papa called it magic." She whispered, as if afraid to speak too loudly. "He said my mama could do it to. That we were special."_

_Tom frowned. "Magic." He repeated slowly, mulling this new information over. He was jolted from his thoughts by Isolde's soft voice._

"_Tom, you're not mad at me are you?"_

_Tom's head snapped up to look at her. She was once again worrying her lip, looking nervous. "Why would I be mad?" he asked._

_Tears filled Isolde's brown eyes. "Because I didn't tell you."_

_Tom pulled Isolde into his arms, trying to stop her tears. "I'm not mad." He whispered._

_Sniffling, Isolde pulled away to look at him. "Really?" she asked, her eyes full of hope,_

_Tom smiled. "Really." He answered and Isolde returned the smile._

_*END OF FLASHBACK*_

Tom was jolted from his memory by a knock on the door. Isolde sat up and Tom dropped his feet off the desk. "Tom, Isolde." Mrs Cole's voice carried through the door as she opened it. "You know you need to keep the doors...how is it so cold in here?"

Tom and Isolde exchanged a look as Mrs Cole shook her head. "I don't know why I bother asking anymore." She mumbled under her breath before forcing a smile. "The two of you have a visitor."

Another look was exchanged between the pair. This time it was one of surprise. They never had visitors. Mrs Cole opened the door the whole way, revealing a man with long auburn hair and beard dressed in a flamboyant cut suit of plum velvet.

"This is Mr Dumberton – sorry – Dunderbore. He's come to tell you – well I'll let him do it." She said, backing out of the room and leaving the two eleven year olds with the strange looking man.

Isolde slid off the bed and edged close to Tom's side, taking his hand. Tom however narrowed his eyes at the man. The three stood in silence. It was broken by the visitor. "How do you do Tom, Isolde?" he asked, holding out his hand to Tom.

Tom glanced at Isolde, trying to see if she was having one of her feelings. Her eyes were surveying the man and she glanced back at Tom, giving him a shrug. She wasn't sure what to make of the man. Tom shook the man's hand, watching him as he turned to Isolde to shake hers.

"May I?" the man asked, indicating towards the chair.

Isolde nodded, pulling Tom towards the bed where they sat down, while the man sat in Tom's desk chair opposite him.

"I am Professor Dumbledore." He said, finally giving them a name.

Isolde let out a small squeak and her grip on Tom's hand tightened. He glanced at his friend to see her eyes widened in fear. He knew why. This man was a Professor. In other words...a doctor. So it had finally happened. Mrs Cole was tired of dealing with all the strange things that surrounded Tom and Isolde. She had brought in a professional to look them over.

"Professor?" Tom repeated out loud. "Is that like a doctor? What are you here for? Did _she_ get you here to have a look at us?"

He repeated everything he thought in his head out loud, before pointing at the closed door that Mrs. Cole had left.

"No, no," the Professor said smiling.

"I don't believe you." Tom said. "She wants us looked at, doesn't she? Tell the truth?"

Tom spoke in the same commanding tone he used on the other orphans when he wanted them to do something. Isolde gave a small gasp, surprised that Tom was speaking to a grown up like that. Professor Dumbledore didn't seem fazed. He just smiled pleasantly. Tom glared at him for a second.

"Who are you?"

"I have told you. My name is Professor Dumbledore and I work at a school called Hogwarts. I have come to offer you both a place my school – your new school, if you would like to come."

Tom leapt from the bed, pulling Isolde with him. He backed away from Dumbledore, shoving Isolde behind him. "You can't kid me! The asylum, that's where you're from isn't it? 'Professor', yes of course – well, we're not going, see?"

"I am not from an asylum." Dumbledore said patiently. "I am a teacher and if you both sit down calmly, I will tell you about Hogwarts. You don't have to go. Nobody will force you."

"I'd like to see them try." By this point Isolde was stuck between Tom and the wall, his back pressing against her front, while her's was pressed directly against the wall.

"Hogwarts," Dumbledore continued as if Tom hadn't spoken. "Is a school for people with special abilities."

"We're not mad."

"I know you're not mad." Dumbledore told him. "Hogwarts is not an asylum. It's a school of magic."

This caught both children's attention. "See, I told you that's what we could do." Isolde whispered in Tom's ear.

"What is it that you can do?" Dumbledore asked.

Tom shifted, allowing Isolde to resume her place beside him. "All sorts." Isolde breathed. "I see things, sometimes before they happen and we can both move things without touching them.

"I can make animals do what I want them to do. Without training them." Tom put in. "I can make bad things happen to people. I can make them hurt if I want to."

"Papa always said I was special and then I came here and found out that Tom was as well." Isolde said this softly.

Dumbledore was no longer smiling; instead he was watching Tom intently. "Yes, you are both special. Tom is a wizard and you Isolde are a witch."

"Are you a wizard too?" Tom asked.

"I am." Dumbledore said.

"Prove it."

"Tom." Isolde hissed, not happy with the way he was speaking to an elder.

The boy turned his gaze to her. "I want proof. Someone could have heard us talking and told Mrs Cole. He might be testing us."

Isolde bit her lower lip. He could be right. She turned her gaze to Dumbledore, looking expectant. He reached into the inside pocket of his suit and withdrew a long thin wooden stick, pointed it at the shabby wardrobe in the corner and gave the stick a casual wave.

The wardrobe burst into flames. Both children jumped in shock, staring at it, before Tom realised that what few possessions he had were burning away and he left Isolde's side, making way to the wardrobe, before the flames vanished, leaving the wardrobe unharmed.

Tom started from Dumbledore to the wardrobe and back. "Where can we get one of them?" he asked the old wizard.

"Am I to assume that you will be attending Hogwarts?" Dumbledore asked.

Tom was looking gleeful at the chance to finally escape the orphanage. "Of course." He said happily.

"I don't know." It was Isolde who said this. Tom looked at her, to see her worrying her lower lip in that cute way.

He walked over to her, taking her hand. "Why not?" he asked quietly, drawing her away from Dumbledore. "We can finally get away from this dreaded place. There will be other people like us."

Isolde looked up at him with scared eyes. Sure, the orphanage was a dreaded place, but it was familiar. "Your mother attended Hogwarts Isolde." Came Professor Dumbledore's voice.

The children turned to face him, both looking surprised. "Mama went to Hogwarts?" Isolde asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. Kiah Branwen." He said with a slight smile. "She graduated as Head Girl 15 years ago."

This had Isolde interested. "Did you know my Papa? Did he go to Hogwarts?"

Dumbledore frowned in thought. "What was his name?"

"Marius Ashby." The young girl answered. Dumbledore shook his head slowly.

"No, I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that name." He told her. Isolde nodded, looking a little disappointed.

Tom wondered who he got his magic off. If Isolde got it off her mother, perhaps he got it off his father. He would have to look into it when he got to Hogwarts. Something suddenly occurred to him. He turned to Dumbledore. "We haven't got any money." He said baldly.

"That is easily remedied." Said Dumbledore, drawing a leather pouch from his pocket. "There is a fund at Hogwarts for those who require assistance to buy books and robes. You might have to buy some of your spell books and so on second hand, but..."

"Where do we buy spell books?" Tom interrupted, having taken the leather pouch from Dumbledore and was now examining a large gold coin that he had pulled out. Isolde nudged him slightly, not happy he had forgotten his manners.

"In Diagon Alley." Dumbledore said. "I have your list of books and school equipment. I can help you find everything."

"You're coming with us?" Isolde asked.

"Certainly." Dumbledore said. "If you..."

Tom once again interrupted him. "We don't need you." He said. "We can do it by ourselves. We go around London all the time. How do we get to Diagon Alley – Ow?" Isolde had nudged Tom extra hard in the ribs this time. He looked at her and she gave him a look. "Sir." He finished.

Handing them two letters, Dumbledore explained how to get to the Leaky Cauldron from the orphanage, explaining that Muggles ("Non-magical people") wouldn't be able to see if, but they would. "- Ask for Tom the barman – easy enough to remember, as he shares your name-."

Tom's expression noticeably changed something that Dumbledore seemed to notice. "You dislike the name Tom."

"There are a lot of Tom's." He muttered, before asking the question he had wanted to ask since it was revealed that Isolde's mother had gone to Hogwarts. "Was my father a wizard? He was called Tom Riddle too, they've told me."

Dumbledore informed him that he didn't know anyone by that name. Tom just took this in stride, before asking when they would be going to Hogwarts. Dumbledore directed them to the second page of their letters and their train ticket.

Having said all that needed to be said, Dumbledore stood up and held out his hand to Isolde and then Tom who then said, "I can talk to snakes. I found out during our trip to Cornwall a few years ago. They find me, they whisper to me. Is that normal for a wizard?"

Isolde sensed a change in Dumbledore's mood. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it wasn't good. "It is unusual." He said after a moment's hesitation. "But not unheard of."

The handshake between the pair was broken, as Dumbledore stepped away, surveying Tom briefly, before turning to Isolde.

"Goodbye Isolde, Tom. I will see you at Hogwarts." He said and then he was gone.

***********

_**A/N: And there we go. Hopefully that should do you for a bit. I've got two more stories I need to update, so it might be a while before this one gets a new chapter. As usual please review. They really motivate me because I know someone's reading the story and wants more.**_


	5. Chapter 4:A Visit to Diagon Alley

_**Disclaimer:**_ The usual, I don't own any of the characters or anything to do with Harry Potter. All credit goes to J.K Rowling. Anyone you don't recognise is owned by me.

_**Authors Note:**_ Here's Chapter Four. Sorry it's been so long since I updated. I haven't been very motivated to do much lately, barely making it out of bed to go to work. Thanks to grahamcracker-xx, poe d'enfant and Superdani for pointing out the mistake I made with Isolde's age. I will fix that up at a later date. Basically Tom was born December 31st 1926 and Isolde was born June 20th 1927. Hope that clears it up for you.

I would also like to thank Maui Kuuipo, random-lemon, Miss Musa and NTG for your reviews as well.

**CHAPTER FOUR- A Trip to Diagon Alley**

A couple of weeks passed before Tom and Isolde were able to leave the orphanage and journey to Diagon Alley. According to the directions Professor Dumbledore had given them there was quite a distance they would need to travel to get to the Leaky Cauldron.

It was early on a sunny day at the beginning of August when Tom and Isolde left the orphanage armed with their letters and the bag of gold coins, making the trek across London to Diagon Alley.

"I think that's it." Isolde whispered to Tom as they arrived at the spot Dumbledore had directed them to. There was a tiny dirty looking pub with a sign that had what looked like a cauldron or something.

"Do you think anyone else can see it?" Tom whispered back, taking note of how people kept walking past it, not even sparing the building a glance.

"Maybe only witches and wizards can see it." Isolde told him. Tom nodded in agreement. He was starting to feel excited, tugging on Isolde's hand he pulled her towards the Leaky Cauldron.

The inside of the Leaky Cauldron revealed to the young children that it was actually a dark and shabby pub. There was a low chatter coming from the various strangely dressed people, men and woman. Some were smoking pipes, most had drinks in front of them.

Isolde squeezed Tom's hand tightly and moved closer to him, as they stood in the doorway, unsure what to do. The fireplace to their left suddenly flared bright green and a man stepped out of it, brushing soot of his clothes.

"You kids alright there?" Tom and Isolde had been too busy staring at the man in the fireplace to notice another man had approached them. He was young, with curly brown hair and green eyes. He had an old rag tossed over his shoulder and an apron tied around his waist.

Isolde cowered beside Tom, who straightened his shoulders and stared up at the man. "Yes, we need to get to Diagon Alley."

The man surveyed them. "Alright then. Follow me." He said. He walked off through the tables. Tom went to follow him, but Isolde didn't move. He turned to look at her.

"What's wrong?" he asked her softly.

She looked at him. "He's a stranger." She whispered.

"So?"

Isolde sighed, looking a little irritated. "Mrs Cole said we shouldn't trust strangers."

Tom scoffed. "Mrs Cole is a paranoid old bat." He said and Isolde glared at him.

"We should be careful."

Tom sighed softly. "Isolde, the man is wearing an apron. He probably works here." He told her softly.

"I actually own the place."

They both jumped, not realising that the man had noticed they weren't following him and had returned.

"I admire you love. It is a good idea to careful with strangers." He said with a friendly smile, which was missing a couple of teeth. Isolde slowly returned the smile. "Come on, I'll show you the entrance to Diagon Alley so you know for later."

Isolde nodded and the man turned heading back in the direction he had gone before, with Tom and Isolde following him this time.

The man led them through the bar and into a small, walled courtyard containing a dustbin and a few weeds. Walking over to one of the wall, he reached into his pocket and pulled out what must have been his wand. He tapped three of the bricks on the wall and stood back.

Tom and Isolde watched as the bricks he had touched quivered and one of the bricks disappeared, leaving a small hole which slowly grew until it was nothing more than a large archway a cobbled street.

"There you go. This is Diagon Alley." The man said with a smile, as he put his wand away.

"Thank you." Isolde said softly with a small shy smile. The man returned it.

"You kids going to be alright?"

Tom smiled tightly, just wanting to get into Diagon Alley. "Yes."

"Alright then Enjoy your day." With a last look at the children, he retreated back into the Leaky Cauldron, leaving them at the entrance to Diagon Alley.

With a glance at each other, Tom and Isolde slowly walked through the entrance, looking around them in awe. "Look Tom." Isolde said, pointing to the shop just inside the entrance of Diagon Alley. It had a stack of cauldrons outside it. "We need to get one of them."

Tom nodded, before pulling Isolde over to stand beside the wall just outside the shop. Digging into his pocket he pulled out his Hogwarts letter. After looking it over, he turned to Isolde. "I think we should get our wands first and then robes." He told her. He really wanted to get a wand and start practising with it.

"Ok Tom." Isolde said smiling at her friend. He returned the smile as his heart swelled with happiness to have her looking at him that way. He took her hand and they headed off down Diagon Alley, taking in everything around them; an apothecary, a place called Eeylops Owl Emporium which appeared to sell owls, Flourish and Blott's which was a bookstore by the looks of it.

"That must be where we get our robes." Isolde whispered to Tom as they passed a shop called Madame Malkin's Robes for all Occasions.

The passed by a large white building called Gringotts Bank and other various shops before they spotted a shop called _Ollivanders: Fine Makers of Wands since 382 BC._

Tom was ecstatic. "A wand shop. Come on." He said excitedly dragging his small friend behind him as he eagerly entered the shop.

Ollivanders was a small dark and dusty shop that was filled with silence only broken by a tinkling bell as the pair entered the shop.

"Hello." Isolde called out softly, not seeing anyone at the small desk at the back of the store.

"Good Morning." A soft voice replied, as an old man stepped out from behind one of the rows of stacked narrow boxes. He was tall with wispy white hair and wide pale eyes that were shinning like moons.

"Hello, we'd like to buy a wand." Tom said arrogantly, his head held high.

"We'll you've come to the right place young man." The man said with an eerie smile. "I am Mr Ollivander and this is my shop."

Before Tom or Isolde said anything, Mr Ollivander disappeared back down the row he had emerged from, reappearing with a long thin box. He opened it, took out the wand it contained. "Give this wand a wave young man." He said, handing it to Tom.

With a glance at Isolde, Tom took the wand over to him and waved it, causing the box Mr Ollivander was holding to catch fire. The old man dropped the box. "No, not that one." He said, snatching the wand off Tom, before disappearing again.

Isolde picked the box up and placed it on the desk in front of them, as Mr Ollivander returned carrying another box. "Let's try this one."

This time the window at the front of the shop cracked down the middle. Shaking his head, he bustled over to another shelf pulling another box off. "How about this one? Yew, thirteen and a half inches. It contains a phoenix feather."

"A phoenix." Isolde gasped. "They're real?"

Mr Ollivander smiled at her. "Yes, they do." He answered, as Tom took the wand from him and waved it, causing a green light to come soaring out it. Mr Ollivander clapped. "Excellent. I was afraid we would have some trouble with you."

Taking the wand from Tom, he placed it back in the box and wrapped it up in brown paper, before turning to Isolde. "Now, let's see if we can find the perfect one for you Miss Branwen."

Isolde looked at him in surprise. "How do you know me?" she asked.

Mr Ollivander smiled. "You, my dear are the spitting image of your mother." He said, before disappearing down the rows.

Isolde looked at Tom in awe, but neither had a chance to say anything before Mr Ollivander returned with a wand for Isolde.

It took much longer for Isolde to find the right wand, but eventually she found the perfect one. Thirteen inches, oak with unicorn hair. Mr Ollivander told her it would be perfect for charms.

He wrapped up Isolde's wand as well, before they paid for them and he bid them farewell with a smile on his face, one that held a secret.

They walked up Diagon Alley towards Madame Malkin's so they could buy their school robes, chatting excitedly.

They entered the shop and were immediately set up by a small smiling witch who introduced herself as Miss Malkin, daughter of the proprietor of the shop.

"Hogwarts?" she asked cheerfully.

They both nodded. "Well who wants to be fitted for their robes first?" she asked and Isolde pushed Tom forward, wanting to have a look at the different robes before trying on her school ones. Miss Malkin dragged Tom out into what looked like a back room.

Isolde wandered around the shop a bit, before taking a seat on one of the ones provided. The bell above the door rang, indicating someone had entered the store. Isolde looked up as Miss Malkin bustled out of the back room over to the young girl who had entered.

"Hogwarts?" she asked in the same cheerful manner and the girl nodded. "Well there are a couple of others before you, so you'll have to wait your turn.

"That's fine." The girl said, sitting in the empty chair beside Isolde, while Miss Malkin went back to Tom.

"Hogwarts?" Isolde turned to look at the girl beside her. She looked to be about Isolde's age with dark brown hair pulled into a low bun and brown eyes. Isolde nodded. "Me too. It's my first year. You look to be a first year as well." The girl said.

"I am." Isolde was not used to having someone speak to her without making fun of her, other than Tom of course. This is was a new experience.

"I'm Minerva McGonagall." The girl said, holding out her hand.

Isolde hesitated for a second before taking the offered hand. "Isolde Branwen."

Minerva smiled. "It's nice to meet you Isolde." She said and Isolde couldn't help but return the smile. "So, any idea what house you'll be in?"

"House?" Isolde asked in confusion.

Minerva nodded. "Yes, there are four houses at Hogwarts." She looked at Isolde. "Are you a muggleborn?"

Biting her lip, Isolde shrugged. "What is a muggleborn?"

"A muggleborn is a witch or wizard with non-magical parents."

"Oh." Isolde said. "We'll my mother was a witch or so I'm told."

"Then that would probably make you a half-blood." Minerva told her.

"Ok." Isolde said. "What were you saying about houses?"

Minerva straightened up. "Oh yes. Well at Hogwarts you are sorted into a house, named after the Four Founders. There is; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin." She explained. "I'm hoping to be in Gryffindor, but Ravenclaw would be alright, all the intelligent people get sorted into Ravenclaw. I wouldn't want to be sorted into Slytherin though.

"Why not?"

Minerva lowered her voice. "Most of the people sorted into Slytherin go bad."

Isolde shivered slight, for reasons unknown to her.

"Slytherin only takes Purebloods though, so you don't need to worry about being sorted into that one." Minerva told her.

Isolde smiled. "What else do you know about Hogwarts?"

Once Miss Malkin had adjusted his robes to his size, Tom slipped out of them and went to leave the dressing room, only to be greeted by the sound of Isolde laughing. He frowned. The only person who could make Isolde laugh like that was him. Who was making her laugh like that? Bursting out of the bac room, he found Isolde conversing with another girl who looked to be about their age.

"Isolde." He said softly, a little miffed that she hadn't noticed his entrance. Even at the sound of her name, Isolde didn't notice him standing there and this made him angry. Who was this person that thought that could steal Isolde away from?

"Isolde." He repeated a little louder and Isolde looked at him, her facing lighting up as it did whenever she saw him after a brief period of separation.

"Tom." She said, jumping up and running over to him. "Come meet Minerva. She's going to Hogwarts as well."

She dragged him over to meet her new friend and Tom surveyed the girl, not happy that she would be attending the same school as them. It didn't occur to him that he should be happy that this girl was actually being nice to Isolde instead of teasing her. However he simply saw her as a threat to his friendship with Isolde.

"Minerva, this is Tom Riddle, my best friend." Isolde introduced, smiling between the two. "And Tom, this is Minerva McGonagall."

"Lovely to meet you." Minerva said, surveying the sullen boy in front of her. He was so different in comparison to Isolde, who was happy and smiling. This young boy was already developing frown lines. However, she already knew how important this boy was to her new friend and was determined to be nice. She held out her hand toward Tom and after a look from Isolde, he reluctantly shook it.

The three stood there awkwardly for a couple of minutes before Miss Malkin came out to retrieve Isolde. Once Isolde was gone, Minerva tried engaging Tom in a conversation, but after receiving a few grunts from him, gave up and quietly sat down beside him.

Isolde insisted on waiting for Minerva, so the three could do their shopping together. Tom didn't like the idea, but he didn't want Isolde angry with him, so he trailed along behind the girls.

After their shopping, Minerva took them back into the Leaky Cauldron where they met her parents. That meeting turned sour when Tom sullenly informed the older witch and wizard upon asking about their parents that they didn't have any.

Isolde bid the other three goodbye before the duo made their way back to the orphanage.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

It was almost lights out when Isolde came into Tom's room, dressed for bed. She stood beside his bed staring at him, as he lay their reading a book.

Tom looked up to find Isolde standing over him, her arms crossed. She did not look very happy. There were very few times when Isolde would look at him like this. The last time had been earlier in the summer when he had stolen the harmonica Edward Stebbins had been left by his late father, after the boy had pushed Isolde.

"I'm not happy with you Tom." She said in a disappointed voice. "How are we to make any new friends if you are so rude?"

Tom just shrugged and returned to the book. It was one had gotten from the bookshop in Diagon Alley. Flourish and Blott's. It was called Hogwarts; a History and it was very fascinating, detailing the history of their new school.

Isolde stomped her foot, not happy that he was ignoring her. "Tom." She said, yanking the book out of his hand.

"You're going to forget about me." Tom said suddenly, sitting up and Isolde looked at him. "We're going to start Hogwarts and you will make new friends and forget all about me. You won't need me." He was finally voicing some of the fears he had developed today, watching Isolde and Minerva.

Isolde's face softened and she crawled onto the bed beside Tom, curling up and resting her head on his lap. "Oh Tom. You're my best friend. I won't forget about you." She said, sitting up again and kissing his cheek. Tom went bright red. "I'll always need you." She whispered in his ear.

"Lights out!" Mrs Cole called from the hallway. Isolde climbed off Tom's bed quickly. Mrs Cole decided that they were too old to share a bed anymore, so Isolde started the night off in her bed, before sneaking back into Tom's after everyone was asleep.

"I'll be back." She whispered, before slipping out of his room, leaving Tom alone, his hand coming to rest of his cheek.

**A/N: **_There's the new chapter. I hope you all like it. I've added a link to my profile page with a picture of the person who I imagined as young Isolde. She's an actress named Grace Fulton and any Ghost Whisperer fans would recognise her as Young Melinda._

_Also any suggestions on who Tom should meet on the Hogwarts Express? I have an idea but I want to see who you think should be Tom's first 'friend'. _

_You will also noticed I borrowed a few things from Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (the Sorcerers Stone for you Yanks.) They were taken from Chapter Five – Diagon Alley_

_As always, please review. I love them._


	6. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer:**_ The usual, I don't own any of the characters or anything to do with Harry Potter. All credit goes to J.K Rowling. Anyone you don't recognise is owned by me.

_**Authors Note:**_ I'm so sorry it's been so long, but life has really sucked the last few months. However, I was determined to finish this chapter; no matter how bad it came out (I was half asleep by the end cos it was past my bed time.) Any who, here it is.

**CHAPTER FIVE**

"Where the hell is Platform 9 ¾?" Tom hissed to Isolde as they stood between Platform 9 and Platform 10 at Kings Cross on September 1st. They were glad to have arrived early, thanks to Mrs Cole who seemed glad to see the pair out of the orphanage. They had reached a problem when they looked at their tickets to find they were supposed to board the Hogwarts Express on Platform 9 ¾, which couldn't possibly exist, right?

After admonishing Tom for his bad language, Isolde pointed out that maybe the entrance was like the one to Diagon Alley. They had just started to walk closer to the wall between Platforms 9 and 10, when a small group of people stopped a couple of metres in front of the barrier. Tom noticed that they had trunks and an owl, like the ones at Diagon Alley. He and Isolde stood there watching them, as one by the one they ran at the wall and disappeared through it.

Exchanging a look Tom and Isolde decided to take lead from them and ran at the wall. Instead of running into it, they ran through it like the other group they had seen.

"Wow." Isolde said when she spotted a large scarlet coloured steam engine next to the platform that was packed with people. There was a sign above it that said _Hogwarts Express._

Tom grinned, turning to Isolde. "Come on." He said leading her down the platform.

"Isolde!" At the sound of her name, Isolde turned around to see Minerva and her parents standing near the train. Minerva was waving at her eagerly.

Isolde smiled. "Minerva." She said, heading towards her new friend. Tom followed with a scowl on his face. Isolde didn't see it, but Minerva did. There was something about that boy.

"Come on, let's go find a seat." Minerva said. It was at the end of the train that they found an empty compartment. Stowing their trunks in the overhead compartments, they bid Minerva's parents farewell, as the clock hit eleven, notifying them that the train was now leaving.

The journey began, leaving behind London and heading north. Minerva and Isolde chatted excitedly about the class they couldn't wait to take and the books they read. Isolde kept trying to draw Tom into the conversation, but all he would do is grunt or nod, before he fished Hogwarts: A History out of his trunk and settled down reading it. Giving a small sigh, Isolde returned her attention to her new friend.

*******************

It was sometime later when Tom closed his book and sent a disgusted look at Minerva who still held Isolde's attention with her tale of a vacation she'd had with her parents in France. He placed the bookmark in his book and returned it to his trunk. Upset that Isolde hadn't even looked at him, Tom turned and slipped out of the compartment.

Walking down the train, Tom listened to the sound of the other students talking excitedly about their summers. He was halfway down the train when the door to a compartment opened and someone stepped out, walking into Tom.

"Watch where you're going." The person snarled.

"Why don't you watch it?" Tom sneered back; as he took in the boy he had bumped into. He looked to be about Tom's age with blonde hair that was almost white, pale skin and grey eyes.

The boy looked Tom up and down. "First year?" the boy asked.

"What's it too you?" Tom replied.

The boy smirked at him. "That's no way to greet a new classmate." He drawled. "Didn't your parents ever teach you manners?"

Tom glared at him. "They're dead." He answered shortly.

"oh." The boy said. "Sorry." He didn't look the slightest bit sorry. "Were they muggles?"

Tom hesitated for a second. Something told him to deny it, but if Isolde found out that he was lying, she would be very upset with him however at the same time, after reading a couple of his new books he knew that some people looked down on muggles and muggleborns. He didn't want to get off on the wrong foot. "I'm half-blood." He told the blond boy, figuring it was probably true anyway.

Lip curled slightly the boy replied, "Better than being a Mudblood I suppose." He held out his hand. "Abraxas Malfoy."

"Tom Riddle." Tom said, accepting the hand after a moment's hesitation, maybe if he had a new friend to wave in Isolde's face, it would make her realise how much she needed him and she would drop Minerva in an instant.

Abraxas dropped Tom's hand and turned, walking back into the compartment. Tom stared after him when he suddenly stepped back out, looking at Tom. "Well come on." He said, sounding a little annoyed, before walking back in.

The compartment was occupied by three other boys. A tall well built boy with curly black hair; a shorter boy with a slightly plump build and brown wavy hair; and another boy with dark blonde hair.

"Boys, this is Tom Riddle." Abraxas said, closing the door behind Tom. "Tom, this is Alphard Black." He gestured to the black haired boy. "Antonin Dolovho." The dark blonde nodded at him. "And Erebus Avery." The third boy was too busy eating from a bag of candy to greet Tom.

Abraxas flopped down on the seat between Alphard and Antonin, gesturing to Tom to take a seat beside Erebus. "First year too Tom?" Alphard asked him.

"Yes." Tom replied, surveying the boys in surrounding him. He took them in, trying to make out if they could be trusted, but it was too soon to tell for sure.

"So, Tom. Which house are you hoping to be sorted into?" Antonin asked from his position by the window.

Tom turned to him. "I'm not sure." He began slowly, noticing that all four boys were leaning towards him; even Erebus had pulled his face out of his candy bag. "Slytherin. Though Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad."

The boys leaned back. "Ravenclaw is alright, I suppose." Abraxas said. "Better then Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. Gah, Imagine if you got sorted into one of them. I think I'd leave school."

"My father would disown me if I got sorted into any house other than Slytherin." Alphard put in.

"Slytherin is the best house." Erebus piped up.

Abraxas smirked at Tom. "It definitely is. Every Malfoy has been in Slytherin since Hogwarts was first established." He stared hard at Tom. "Although your chances of getting into Slytherin might be slim. Only purebloods get into Slytherin."

Tom frowned, but kept quiet, glad he hadn't mentioned the possibility of being muggleborn. The door to their compartment suddenly opened and a girl with straight black hair stepped in. "I just saw Walburga and she told me that we will be arriving at Hogwarts soon, so it's best we get changed into our robes." This was directed at Alphard.

"Alright." Alphard said to her. "Oh, Lucretia, this is Tom. He's a first year as well. Tom, this is my cousin Lucretia."

Lucretia looked at him and smiled. "Nice to meet you Tom." She said, before frowning. "You don't know someone named Isolde, do you? Because there was a girl looking for someone named Tom."

Tom felt his heart beat faster at the thought of Isolde looking for him. "I better go find her." He said, standing up.

"We'll see you later then Tom." Abraxas said, with that smirk on his face.

Tom nodded, and then slid past Lucretia in search of Isolde. He found her just outside their compartment, dressed in her robes and looking frantic. She launched herself into his arms the minute she saw him. "Where have you been? I was so worried." She said.

Tom felt tension he hadn't even realised he was feeling, ease out of his body at the feel of Isolde in his arms. He didn't realise how much he had missed her in the short amount of time they had been apart. "I was exploring." He told her.

Isolde pulled away from him. "Come on, we're almost there." She said, dragging him into the compartment, where to his disappointment, Minerva was seated dressed in her own robes. "You need to get changed into your uniform. We'll wait outside."

Grabbing Minerva she dragged her out, leaving Tom to quickly change before giving them the okay to return. It wasn't long before the train came to a stop and everyone began disembarking. Tom reached for Isolde's hand, not wanting to lose her in the crush of students.

"First years, this way please first years." A voice shouted above the noise.

Minerva grabbed Isolde's sleeve. "Come on, this way." She said and Isolde followed holding Tom's hand tightly.

They came to a stop in front of a middle aged man holding a lantern, who was surveying the group. "Have we got everyone?" he asked, still looking them over. "Alright then, let's go."

He walked off and everyone followed him. Tom leaned over to Isolde and whispered in her ear. "This is it."

***********

**As usual, please R&R. I've also taken the time to answer some of you reviews and thank you all personally.**

_moonstargazer – Yes, Tom is a tad jealous. He is going to get a whole lot worse. I'm glad you like my story._

_Superdani a.k.a VioletFairchild – I know that Minerva is older them Tom, but in my story I wanted her to be the same age as Tom and Isolde for future chapters. I am also flattered to see that someone has a favourite line. I have to admit, it's probably one of my favourites as well._

_David Fishwick – Here's your update. Sorry it took so long. Thank you for your review._

_weirdunusalchick – I look forward to your future reviews. Hope you like this chapter._

_Knights of Wattala – I'm glad you find my story interesting. My chapters are usually short because it takes me so long to write them and I just want to get a chapter up, but hopefully they will get longer as the story progresses._

_Midaria – OMG, I have followers, that is so cool. I'm going to finish this story if it kills me. I hope this chapter is to your liking._

_Kelli – I love Tom Riddle as well. Thanks for the review._

_KnightmareAngel – Interesting, I love that word especially in reference to my story. Thanks for your review and I hope to see more in the future._


	7. Chapter 6: The Sorting Hat

_**Disclaimer:**_ The usual, I don't own any of the characters or anything to do with Harry Potter. All credit goes to J.K Rowling. Anyone you don't recognise is owned by me.

A/N: I'm sorry, I know its been ages since my last update, but my muse is such a flake. Oh and a lot of things from this chapter were borrowed from chapter seven of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (Sorcerers Stone for you Yanks)

**CHAPTER SIX – The Sorting**

The students followed the man down a narrow path that opened onto the edge of a large black lake where a large fleet of boats lay.

"There's your first look at Hogwarts." The man said.

There was a loud 'ooh' as everyone saw the large castle perched on top of a high mountain on the other side of the lake.

"Now, no more than four to a boat."

Tom, Isolde and Minerva climbed into a boat followed by another girl with golden blonde curly hair. Once everyone was in a boat, the small fleet began to make its way across the vast lake. A short while later they were carried through an opening in the cliff face under the castle and into an underground harbour where they clamoured out of the boats and up a flight of stairs, where Professor Dumbledore was standing in front of a large oak door.

"Thank you Mr Mot I will take it from here." Professor Dumbledore said.

The man bowed and disappeared while Professor Dumbledore opened the door and stepped in, gesturing that everyone should follow. Tom's eyes widened as he took in the large entrance hall and the walls that were lit with large flaming torches. The ceiling was high and a marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

Professor Dumbledore led them into a small chamber of the hall. Everyone crowded in close. Isolde, who hadn't let go of Tom's hand since they exited the Hogwarts Express, pressed close to Tom, almost shaking in fear. Tom squeezed her hand gently trying to ease her nerves.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." Professor Dumbledore said. "The start of term feast will begin shortly but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because while you are here, your house will be like your family. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room."

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin." Tom caught Abraxas; eye and the blonde boy gave him a smirk. "While you are at Hogwarts your triumphs will earn your house points while any rule breaking will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour."

"The Sorting ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school in the Great Hall." Dumbledore said. "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."

He left the chambers and everyone began talking quietly among themselves. "Minerva, do you know how we will be sorted?" Isolde asked her new friend.

Minerva shook her head. "No. I'm afraid I don't." She said with a frown.

Tom hide a smirk, glad that the other girl was unable to ease Isolde's fears. He leant closer to Isolde. "I'm sure it won't be hard." He whispered softly. "It's only our first day. I doubt most of these kids have even opened their textbooks."

Isolde turned to him, sending him a small smile which Tom returned. She rested her head on his shoulder and stared up at the roof. The door to the chamber opened suddenly and Professor Dumbledore stepped in. "They are ready for you." He said. "For a line and follow me please."

All the students formed a line and followed Professor Dumbledore out of the chamber, across the Entrance Hall and through a set of double doors into the Great Hall. Isolde, who was standing in front of Tom turned and gave him a scared look before the entered the hall.

Tom looked around the hall, taking it in. It was lit by thousands of candles that were floating over four long tables filled by the rest of the students. These tables were laid with golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor Dumbledore led them there so they came to a stop, standing with their backs to their teachers so they were facing the other students.

Isolde leaned over to Tom. "Look at the ceiling." She whispered. Tom looked up to the ceiling which was a velvety black colour dotted with hundreds of twinkling stars.

Professor Dumbledore, who had walked off, came back carrying a small three legged stool and a frayed pointed wizard's hat. He placed the stool in front of the teachers table and placed the hat of top of it, before pulling a long piece of parchment out of his pockets.

"When I call your name, you will put the hat on and sit on the stool to be sorted." He said, unravelling the parchment.

Tom glanced at Isolde who was biting her lip, looking less scared then she had before. Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat and called out the first name. "Susan Andrews."

A small girl with mousy brown hair left the line of first year students, walking slowly to the stool before putting the hat on and sitting down. There was silence before the hat spoke. "Hufflepuff."

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Professor Dumbledore gently pointed Susan in the direction to the Hufflepuff table before he turned his gaze back to the parchment. "Annabelle Abbott."

Annabelle was also sorted into Hufflepuff. The next student, Jonathon Ackerley was the first sorted into Ravenclaw. Erebus was sorted into Slytherin as was Alphard and his cousin Lucretia. Isolde jumped when her name was called. Tom squeezed her hand before she slowly walked up and sat down while Dumbledore placed the hat on her head. It had barely touched her head before it shouted. "Ravenclaw."

Isolde shot Tom a relieved smile before she went to join her house. Tom watched her go, feeling a sense of dread before turning back to face the front.

Sophia Chitlock was the first Gryffindor, while Antonin joined Slytherin sending Tom a smirk as he walked passed. Abraxas was also sorted into Slytherin after having the hat barely touch his head. When Minerva was called up, Tom sneered hoping she wouldn't end up in Ravenclaw with Isolde. To Tom's relief, she was sorted into Gryffindor.

It wasn't long after Minerva's sorting that Tom's name was called. He walked up, head held high and sat on the stool, noticing Dumbledore's hesitation before placing the hat on his head.

"Well, hello Mr Riddle." Came a small voice causing Tom to jump a little. "Let's see what you have in here. Intelligence and talent fitting for Ravenclaw...hmmm...but you are also cunning...very cunning, you would do well in Slytherin There is also a thirst...a thirst to prove yourself. You would fit well in either house. However your blood calls to Slytherin...Yes, definitely SLYTHERIN!" the hat called the last part out loud.

Tom pulled the hat off and handed it to Dumbledore who was looking at him with a funny expression. Tom didn't notice it; his eyes were on Isolde who was sitting at the Ravenclaw looking upset. Tom felt a little upset as well. They had been separated. No one had been able to separate them before, no human, but a piece of fabric had been able to.

Looking at Isolde once more, Tom made his way to the Slytherin table, where he was waved over to a seat by Abraxas and the others he had met on the train.

The Sorting ended with another sorted into Gryffindor. Professor Dumbledore rolled up the parchment and walked off, taking the sorting hat and stool with him.

A portly man who was seated at the centre of the Head Table stood up and the Hall fell silent. "Welcome to Hogwarts." He said. "I am Professor Dippet, Headmaster of this fine institution. Before we begin the banquet I have a few notices. Please note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all students. Also, no magic is to be used in the corridors between classes." He cleared his throat and continued, however Tom's attention was on Isolde, who was sitting between two girls at the Ravenclaw table. She was watching Professor Dippet, but looked at Tom when she sensed his gaze on her.

Their connection was broken when Erebus elbowed Tom in the ribs. "Aren't you going to eat Tom?" he asked.

Tom looked down at the table to see it was now covered in dishes full of food. His eyes widened, he had never seen so much food in his life. Erebus already had a plate full of food, while Tom's fellow Slytherin were filling up their own plates.

Sparing another glance at Isolde whose attention was on her own table full of food, he began serving himself, filling his plate with sausages, roast chicken, Yorkshire pudding and other things.

At the Ravenclaw table, Isolde tore her gaze away from her best friend to concentrate on eating. She couldn't believe that she and Tom had not been placed in the same house and to make things worse he had been sorted into Slytherin. Isolde of course remembered Minerva's warning in Diagon Alley about Slytherin being full of evil wizards. What if they made him evil? Or worse, hurt him.

Isolde's musings were broken by the girl sitting beside her, who decided to introduce herself. "My name is Alice Honeywood." She said with a smile. Isolde recognised her as the girl who had joined them in the boat across the lake.

Isolde smiled at her. "I'm Isolde Branwen." She said and they shook hands.

"I'm Acacia Boot." The girl on the other side of Isolde said. She was pretty with straight black hair and green eyes. Alice and Isolde greeted her and they all fell into an easy conversation about their upcoming classes and excitement about life at Hogwarts.

Isolde would occasionally look over at the Slytherin table to check on Tom, who was engaged in a conversation with another boy.

Before long the feast had ended and everyone began to make their way to their common rooms. "Come on." Acacia said to Isolde and Alice. "My brother is a Prefect. He can show us back to the Ravenclaw common room."

Acacia led them over to a tall boy who was calling for all first year Ravenclaws. He smiled at his sister, before leading them and the other first years to what he called 'Ravenclaw Tower'.

Once they reached the common room, he directed them to their dorms, giving them to take in the common room which was cosy looking room full of blue armchairs in front of a blazing fire.

Isolde, Alice and Acacia found their trucks had already been bought up and placed in front of their four-post beds with velvet dark blue curtains around them. They were joined by another girl, Evangeline Edgecombe who seemed even shyer then Isolde.

They all pulled on their pyjamas, deciding it was time for bed after the long day they had. The other three girls seemed to fall asleep quickly, leaving Isolde alone in her thoughts, feeling a sense of dread as she wondered what being sorted into different houses meant for her friendship with Tom.

In the first year Slytherin boy's dorm, Tom was laying in bed listening to the breathing of his dorm mates. He had never shared a room with anyone but Isolde and it felt strange not to have her with him. However he knew he would have to get use to not being around Isolde, after the conversation he overheard between two older Slytherins, which left him with no doubt that his friendship with someone in another house was a big no-no.

Ignoring the pain in his chest, Tom turned to his side and sighed, wiling sleep to come.

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A/N: I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Please review and let me know what you thought.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed.

**ssjbura-briefs: **Hopefully things won't turn out like in the song.

**Seduce: **Sorry, but i had to put Isolde in Ravenclaw. I agree though, Slytherin is a cool house.

**asifyouknow: **Here is your update. Sorry it took so long.

**Null:**Glad you like the story.

**Midaria: **Thank you for your review. I'm sorry it took so long for the update.

**Superdani a.k.a Violet Fairchild: ***cringes* Sorry!

**Genuine Jennifer: **Sorry its taken so long. Thanks for your review and i hope you like the chapter.


	8. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer:**_ The usual, I don't own any of the characters or anything to do with Harry Potter. All credit goes to J.K Rowling. Anyone you don't recognise is owned by me.

**A/N: **Hey all, yes I know its been forever since I updated. I am so sorry, but I just haven't been motivated and I was kinda afraid of what would happen with Tom and Isolde, even though I knew what I wanted to happen.

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Isolde and the other girls in her dormitory were up early on the first day of classes, excited to be starting their education in magic. After getting dressed and gathering the things they would need for their first day of classes they headed out to the common room where a couple of older Ravenclaw girls offered to show them to the Great Hall in case they had forgotten how to get there.

"This is so exciting." Alice whispered as they made their way to the Great Hall. "I wonder what class we will have first."

Acacia smiled. "I hope its Charms." She said. "That's my brother's favourite class."

Isolde listened to the others girls talking, all the while keeping an eye out for Tom. She wanted to see how his first night had been. Had he been unable to sleep as well? It was their first night sleeping apart since they had met.

As they neared the Great Hall, Isolde spotted Tom coming up a set of stairs with the boys he had been sitting with at the Slytherin table the night before. She couldn't stop the smile spreading across her face as she slipped to the end of the group of Ravenclaws she was with, hoping to get a moment alone with Tom.

Tom looked up in her direction and she gave a small wave, waiting for him to come over to her. However instead of returning the wave or her smile, he turned away from her walking straight past her and into the Great Hall.

Isolde felt a pain in her chest. What? Why had Tom ignored her? He can't have missed her, he looked straight at her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she took a couple of deep breathes to try and calm herself. However the pain in her chest refused to go away. Didn't Tom need her anymore now that he had other friends? He was the one who had been worried that she wouldn't need him anymore. She shook her head. No, there is no way Tom would have ignored her. He probably just didn't see her or recognise her in her robes. She would speak to him later.

"Isolde." She looked up to see Minerva walking toward her surrounded by a couple of other Gryffindor. Isolde quickly wiped away her tears and forced a smile for her friend.

"Hello Minerva." She said. "How was your first night?"

Minerva smiled. "It was fine. I went to bed almost immediately when we got to Gryffindor Tower." She informed her. "It was such a long day. However I am well rested and ready to start my first day of classes. How about you?"

"I'm looking forward to start learning." Isolde informed her, as they walked into the Great Hall.

"Excellent." Minerva said. "I suppose I shall see you later then."

Isolde nodded and bid the girl farewell as she headed to the Ravenclaw slipping into a spot that Acacia and Alice had saved her.

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At the Slytherin table Tom was trying to ignore the guilt he felt after seeing the hurt look on Isolde's face after he had ignored her. However it was for the best.

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It was the end of the third official day of classes. Isolde was sitting by herself in the library trying to concentrate on her History of Magic essay but it was useless. All that she could think about was Tom and the way he had cut himself off from her. After the first day, Isolde had approached him at least two other times before getting the point and staying away from him, as much as it pained her to do.

She had to face the facts. Tom had new friends and didn't need her anymore. She just thought after seven years of friendship he would at least have the decency to tell her to her face that he no longer wished to be friends with her.

Tears welled up in her eyes and she angrily wiped them away. It hurt so much. Tom had been more than her best friend, he had been her only family, and someone she had trusted and thought she could count on. Not once had she thought he would simply dump her once someone better came along.

"Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?" A voice inquired.

Isolde looked up to see two Slytherin girls with black hair standing beside her table. She recognised them from the train on the first day of school. "Um...no" she said, quickly clearing a spot for them to sit down.

"Thank you." The same person who had spoken before said, as they sat down. "I'm Lucretia." She said with a smile. "And this is Octavia."

"I'm Isolde." She said, returning the smile.

"Ravenclaw?" Octavia asked, glancing at the emblem on her robes. Isolde nodded. "Good."

Isolde was a little confused. "Why is that good?"

Lucretia opened one of her books. "We like Ravenclaws. They are much better to associate with then Gryffindors." She informed Isolde.

Isolde nodded, still confused, but decided to question any further as they settled in to continue with their homework. They worked in silence for a little while before Octavia spoke.

"What do you think of Hogwarts Isolde?"

Isolde smiled. "I love it." She said _'well most of it' _she thought to herself, instructing herself not to think of Tom anymore.

Lucretia smiled as well. "It is quite wonderful isn't." She said. "I've been waiting to come since my sister got her letter. She's a third year. Both of my parents attended."

"My mother attended Hogwarts." Isolde told them, wondering why she had told them that.

The girls smiled. "Pureblood?" Octavia asked.

Isolde shook her head. "Half-blood." She answered. _Why am I telling them this stuff?_

Octavia went back to work while Lucretia continued with the questions. "History of Magic."

Isolde nodded. "Yes. I find it so much more interesting reading about it then listening to Professor Binns."

Lucretia laughed. "I swear that man would be just as boring if he were dead." Octavia and Isolde joined in. Isolde felt a little pang in her heart. If these two Slytherins had no problems associating with her then why did Tom?

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Isolde found herself developing a fast friendship with Lucretia and Octavia; every night after dinner they would spend an hour in the library, studying and talking about their lives, classes and anything that came to mind before making their way back to their common rooms. It was towards the end of the first week of classes that Tom came up in the conversation. Lucretia remembered that Isolde had been searching for Tom on the train.

"Tom and I are...were just friends." Isolde said in a soft voice, staring hard at her Charms essay.

Octavia frowned. "Were?" she asked.

Isolde shrugged. "He's been avoiding me since the first day of classes." She told them. "I'm not sure why, whether it's because he has new friends now or because we weren't sorted into the same house."

Lucretia had a frowned to match her housemate. "He didn't say why?"

Isolde shook her head. "Like I said, he just stopped talking to me." She said, fighting back the tears that cropped up every time she thought about Tom.

Octavia's face crumpled, she hated seeing anyone cry. "Oh Is." She said putting her arms around her friend. Lucretia joined the hug to comfort their new friend.

Isolde sniffled. "Thanks guys." She said quietly. "It just hurts that after seven years of friendship he can just dump me like that."

The three girls stayed in that position for a little while longer before Isolde pulled away, wiping the remaining tears. "I better get back to Ravenclaw Tower. I promised Acacia she could teach me how to play Gobstones." Isolde told them with a small smile.

Lucretia laughed. "Well have fun." She said, as Isolde packed up her things and bid them farewell.

The minute Isolde was out of sight, the two Slytherin girls put their heads together to hatch a plan.

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One week. It had been one week since Tom had spoken to Isolde; one week since he stood next to her, one week since he had distanced himself from her. She had stopped trying to talk to him after the fourth day at school and it hurt him a little to think she would give up so easily, He didn't stop to think that it was him who had just given up on their friendship and should not be feeling hurt.

Tom was on his way back to the Slytherin common room after classes finished, trying not to think about Isolde, when he felt two hands grab him by the arms and drag him in an unused classroom. He spun around, wand out when he found Lucretia and Octavia, two first year Slytherins standing before him, their wands also drawn.

"What the...?" he began, before Lucretia started talking.

"You are dirt." She sneered. "No, you're worst then dirt."

Tom rolled his eyes before trying to get past them when Octavia pushed her wand into his throat. "Ok, why am I dirt?" he asked.

Octavia dug her wand in deeper to his throat. "Worse than dirt." She corrected.

Lucretia glared at him. "Isolde is the nicest person I have ever met." Tom's heart leapt at the mention of her name. "And you just brushed her off like she's nothing."

Tom opened his mouth. "I didn't just..." trailing off, knowing that was a big fat lie about to leave his mouth.

"Don't lie." Octavia said viciously. "Isolde told us that you two were best friends before you started Hogwarts and now what? You're too good for her?"

Tom frowned. How did these girls know Isolde? Yes, they went to the same school, but they were Slytherins and Isolde was in Ravenclaw. Why did they care? Lucretia answered his unasked question.

"Isolde is our friend."

"We want to know why you just dumped her like she meant nothing to you." Octavia said.

Tom stepped back; the wand pressed against his throat was starting to hurt. "How can you be friends with Isolde?" he asked. "I thought Slytherins didn't associate with other houses."

Lucretia rolled her eyes. "We don't associate with Gryffindors." She told him. "Some of Hufflepuff is alright and Ravenclaw is the only house who isn't prejudiced against us. We do associate with them."

He frowned, running a hand across his forehead. He didn't have to stop being friends with Isolde because she was in Ravenclaw. He felt his stomach twist. That changed things, but would Isolde still want to be friends with him after the way he had treated. Isolde was a very forgiving person but even she had her limits.

"So, I can still be friends with Isolde?" he asked. "Even though she's in Ravenclaw."

Both girls nodded. "We're friends with her." Octavia reminded him.

Tom stared at them. "I have to find Isolde." He said strongly. He went to push past them, but Lucretia stopped him. He looked at her.

"She'll be in the library after dinner." She informed him.

He nodded, as they let him past. "Oh and Tom." Lucretia called. He turned back. "If you hurt Isolde again we will hurt you."

Octavia smiled evilly. "Oh yeah. We'll cut your manly bits off with a rusty spoon."

Tom just shook his head, leaving the room trying not to think about how Octavia's threat would be carried out.

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After dinner Isolde was sitting at her usual table in the library wondering where Lucretia and Octavia. She hadn't seen them when she had been at dinner and wondered what had become of them. Turning back to her homework, she became so engrossed in it that she didn't hear the person come up behind her, until they tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to almost jump out of her skin.

Looking up, Isolde felt her heart tighten as she saw Tom standing beside her, twisting his hands in front of him. That was strange, Tom never fidgeted. Fighting the urge to smile at him, Isolde frowned remembering the way he had treated her all week, like she hadn't existed, like they had never been friends.

"Yes." She said surprised by how her voice sounded.

Tom looked surprised as well, realising this would be harder then he thought. Sure, he and Isolde had fought before, but he had never screwed up this badly. He had never hurt her as much as he was sure he had hurt her.

Licking his lips, he swallowed before speaking. "Isolde, I am so sorry." He said, sitting down beside her in Octavia's usual spot. "I thought that because we were in separate houses that we couldn't be friends anymore."

Isolde's mouth drew in a straight line. "So you just decided to ignore me." She asked, trying not to cry.

Tom looked at the table. He recognised that tone of voice. She was trying not to cry. His heart stopped for a moment as he realised what a jerk he had been. "I didn't know any other way." He said quietly.

When he looked up Isolde was looking at him. Her face twisted in hurt and anger. "So after seven years of friendship, I didn't deserve you telling me to my face that you no longer wished to be friends." Her voice wavered for a second.

Tom felt terrible. How was he going to make it up to her? Was he going to be able to convince her that this would never happen again? Would she want to be friends with him again? This past week had been terrible not speaking to her, like his soul was missing without her.

He was silent for a moment as he thought back over her last comment. Why hadn't he had the decency to tell her why he was no longer speaking to her? He answered that question almost immediately, because he wouldn't have been able to go through with it, not if she had given him the same look she was giving him now.

"I just couldn't tell you." He answered quietly.

Isolde looked at her best friend, reading his face, his emotions. He was feeling guilt, shame, fear, sadness, remorse. He was truly sorry for his behaviour. She sighed and looked away, not sure what to do. Should she forgive him? He made a mistake, but seen then error of his ways.

Tom took Isolde's hand. "Please Isolde, you have to forgive me." He said.

Isolde pulled her hand away. "I don't have to do anything." She said vehemently.

Tom looked surprised. That wasn't his Isolde; she never spoke to anyone like that. She can't have changed that much in a week. He frowned. It must be Lucretia and Octavia's influence. He sighed.

"Of course you don't have to do anything." He said softly. He noticed Isolde's fierce expression waver slightly. She sighed and stared at the book in front of her.

The pair sat in silence for a long time, before Isolde spoke. "OK, I'll forgive you." She said and Tom smiled. "On the condition that you never, ever do anything like that again."

His smile grew. "I swear. I will never hurt you again Isolde, I promise." He said, sweeping her up in a hug. Isolde laughed as she hugged him back.

They held each other for a long time, making up for lost time, glad that things were back to normal.

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**A/N **So what did you think? Not some of my best writing but please read and review. I would really like to see the reviews hit 60 cos 51 is a sad looking number.

As a 'sorry i took so long to update' gift i'll give a little insight to whats going to happen in the next chapter. Tom is going to start looking into his history, specifically his father. If anyone has any name suggestions for books he might find in the Hogwarts library in reference to Genelology (yes i know Tom's father is muggle but he assumes he's a wizard.)

Also thank you to those who reviewed.

**Superdania. Fairchild - **Girl, i hope you were happy with this chapter. I love your reviews :)

**Mego34567 - **Thanks for your review. I made a mistake with Isolde's age but it has been corrected.

**xxstarlightxxdreamerxx - **I know i missed the sorting hat song but i was really eager to get this chapter up and too lazy to do the song. I'm glad you like the story.

**Null - **Sorry i took so long to update. I think this chapter is longer. Thanks for your review.

**TogsTwilightFans - **I'm happy you like my story. Thanks for the review.


	9. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer:**_ The usual, I don't own any of the characters or anything to do with Harry Potter. All credit goes to J.K Rowling. Anyone you don't recognise is owned by me.

**A/N: **This chapter is dedicated to Fairy Forsaken – my 60th reviewer, as she informed me in her review :)

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

The first term at Hogwarts flew by. Tom spent a great deal of time making up for how he had treated Isolde the first week of term. He knew that she had forgiven him but she hadn't forgotten. Although they had no classes together since Slytherin was grouped with Gryffindor and Ravenclaws with Hufflepuff, the pair was still able to spend a large amount of time together.

Isolde was also dividing her time between her friends in Slytherin and her friends in Ravenclaw as well as Minerva. Acacia and Alice had taken to joining Isolde and the Slytherin girls, and they quickly formed their own group. Minerva had joined them a couple of time but none of Isolde's friends particularly liked the Gryffindor who had very quickly earned a reputation as a know-it-all. None the less, Isolde still made time for her first Hogwarts friend.

The last day of term arrived and Isolde bid her new friends goodbye as they left to catch the Hogwarts Express back to London for the Christmas holidays. She and Tom were spending Christmas at Hogwarts. When they found out they had to option to stay at school they had jumped at it, not wanting to spend another miserable Christmas at the orphanage. After waving her friends off, she headed to the library intent on finding her best friend.

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_Intelligence and talent fitting for Ravenclaw...hmmm...but you are also cunning...very cunning, you would do well in Slytherin. There is also a thirst...a thirst to prove yourself. You would fit well in either house. However your blood calls to Slytherin..._

"Tom!" Tom was jolted out of his reminiscences. He looked up to see Isolde standing beside him, a small smile of amusement on her face.

He couldn't help but return the smile, as she sat down opposite him. "Where were you? It was like you were a hundred miles away. I called your name three times." She said.

Tom shrugged. "Sorry. I was just thinking." He said, glancing back at the book in front of him.

Isolde frowned slightly, wondering what her friend had been thinking about so intently. Before she could ask, he looked back at her. "I was thinking about what the Sorting Hat said to me at the Sorting Feast." He informed her.

Isolde's brow furrowed. "What did it say?"

He repeated what the hat had said to him and for a moment he was distracted as she started nibbling on her lower lip. "Your blood calls to Slytherin." She repeated. "What do you think it means?"

Tom shrugged. "Maybe my father was in Slytherin." He said.

Isolde nodded slowly. "Maybe." She agreed.

"I'm going to start trying to find my father's family." He said. "One of the books in here should have something about where I came from." Tom gestured to the large stacks of books surrounding them.

Isolde followed his gaze. "Maybe." She repeated, not wanting to encourage Tom too much in case he was disappointed in what he did or didn't find. "Where do we start?"

Tom smiled at her, knowing he could count on Isolde when he needed her and he knew researching his family was something he would need her help with. "Let's wait until after Christmas. I've waited 12 years to find out about my father. A few more days won't hurt."

Isolde simply nodded.

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Their first Christmas at Hogwarts was without a doubt the best Christmas Tom and Isolde had ever had. Eight other students had stayed and the ten of them plus the teachers had Christmas lunch together with every possible bit of Christmas food imaginable.

Since the only Slytherin left was a 7th year who spent most of the holidays with his Ravenclaw girlfriend, Merlin knows where, Tom invited Isolde into the Slytherin common room where they sat by the fire sipping cocoa, reading and just enjoying the time they had alone together.

Come Boxing Day straight after breakfast, they found themselves back in the library, surrounded by any book they could find on Genealogy, past and present students of Hogwarts and families in the wizarding world. They spent hours in the library pouring over books, only pausing to eat, sleep and use to restroom.

New Years Eve and Tom's 12th Birthday arrived rather quickly and the search was slowly losing momentum as Tom slowly came to realise that his father might not be a wizard like he had originally thought.

Isolde patted his arm and attempted to cheer him up. "Maybe, your mother was the magical one." She said trying to stay position.

"Yeah." Tom said sullenly.

"We can keep looking for your father." Isolde said quickly. "But maybe when we go back to the orphanage this summer, you could ask Mrs Cole what she knows about your mother."

Tom just nodded, before grabbing _Past and Present Prefects of Hogwarts _and opening it again for the third time in five days.

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**A/N: **Yes, I know this was a short chapter but I didn't feel the need to lengthen it because really, how much time could they spent searching for a man who isn't a wizard. Hopefully things will start to pick up and I will be more inspired to update much more quickly.

Any possibility we can reach 70 reviews?

Also, when I write I like picturing my characters, using actors and actress. Anyone got any ideas who they think would resemble a teen Isolde? Let me know in your reviews.

**k8ew8e – **Glad you like the story. Thanks for the review.

**DarkCarolineRiddle – **Ask and ye shall receive. Thanks for reviewing.

**whenthesnowmelts- **Thanks for the review. I hope you enjoy the future chapters.

**xxstarlightxxdreamerxx – **No, you didn't sound rude in your last comment. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoyed this update.

**wholegrainmustard – **Thanks. Yes, I intend on continuing when they are older and out of Hogwarts. Not sure how far I'll go...maybe late 20's?

**TogsTwilightFans – **Yeah, I'm glad Tom got his act together as well, with a little help from Lucretia and Octavia.

**Superdani – **I live for your reviews girl. I love Isolde's new friends as well. They will feature more as the story progresses. And don't worry, Isolde won't die...by Tom's hands...

**diggydawg – **I love the bond the Tom and Isolde share as well. I hope I'm conveying just how strong it is (there is a bit of a clue just how strong in the last chapter). Glad to hear I'm going at the right pace.

**Fairy Forsaken – **Ah...my 60th reviewer. Here's your update. Thanks for the review.


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